Well, a lot has happened since August.  September totally flew by!  I apologize for not getting a newsletter out earlier than now.  Unfortunately, Ryan and I had problems with our computer and had to have it sent off to be fixed.  (Thanks Collin!)

Made visits and had visitors?

Late August we were surprised by our friend Steve Miracle who made a drop-in to see us.  He was traveling north and decided to stop by.  He stayed at our house for the night, but had to get moving the next day.  We enjoyed his company.  Thanks for stopping Steve!

That month we also surprised a few people of our own.  One weekend, just out of the blue, I asked Ryan if he wanted to go to Mississippi.  Then, he hadn’t started school and we had a lot of time on our hands.  So, we packed and left that morning.  We got to Hamilton about 9:00 that night.  When we arrived at my house, no one was there.  So, we hid the car and waited for my parents on the front porch.  Soon after, they arrived home.  At first, they had no clue who we were and why we were sitting one their porch.  When they did realize who we were, it was a sight to see.  We totally blew them away with our unannounced visit.  We continued with this theme for the entire weekend, as we stunned our friends and family endlessly.  It was definitely a weekend to remember!

Ryan and I recently made a trip to Springfield, Missouri to stay with Cheryl and Ken (Ryan’s mom and stepfather). We had a great time visiting with them.  While we were there, they gave us some furniture which has definitely come in handy.  Thank you both so much!

How is school going?

Ryan has officially started school.  Last month, he had four weeks of preparation classes.  Now he involved in the classes that he will be graded in.  In this program, he can choose to go one way of two tracks: decision analysis or environmental engineering.  It is rumored that the environmental route is the hardest due to the class work it takes to complete the program.  However, this is what interests him most.  He is still praying about which way he should go, but he is leaning towards environmental.  He will not have to make a decision until next semester, so please keep him in your prayers.

As you all know, am I attending Park University which is located on Wright Patterson AFB.  I started school this Thursday.  Somehow in the process of choosing a school, I overlooked the fact that this school does not provide any day classes but only night classes.  I go to class once a week from 5:30 to 10:30 PM.  I know, I know, it’s horrible.  I must be losing it because I was totally oblivious to that fact.  However it’s only nine class meetings, so I’m sure it will go by fast.  I am also taking an internet class.  The school only allows a new Park student to take two classes his or her first semester because of the large workload in such a short span of time.  Next semester I can take three if my grades are good enough.

Still looking for a church?

I am happy to report that we have found our church home here in Ohio.   We were first informed of Apex Community Church by Ryan’s commander, Maj. Wood, in Columbus.  He described the church to be much like The Crossroads, our home church in Columbus.  So, we decided to check it out.  The first thing we couldn’t help but notice upon entering Apex was the number of people attending service.  (I was later informed that 1000+ come to Apex.)  We felt at home with those around us.  The music was awesome and the message was even better.  Apex is part of the Southern Baptist Convention but looks more like a nondenominational church.  We thoroughly enjoyed Apex and knew it was where God wanted us to be.  Since then, we have gotten involved in a class called “Apex 101” to find out more about the church’s beliefs and where they stand on certain issues.  In that class, we met another young couple, Dave and Jenny, who we are becoming good friends with.  I t was hard for Ryan and I to leave the Crossroads.  I doubted we would ever find a church that we loved so much.  The Crossroads will forever be our home church, but I am glad that God provided us such a great place to serve while we are here in Ohio.  You can check out Apex at www.apexcommunity.net . 

Who got married?

On October 16, 2004 my cousin, Brad Vangunda, married Cindy Gregory. 

Congratulations you two!!

Ryan and I made a trip to Memphis, TN to attend my cousin’s wedding.  It turned out beautiful.  They really did a great job.  Everything went smoothly and afterwards they had tasty finger foods and groovy music!  We were able to see my parents and brother, my grandparents from California, and of course, my aunt and uncle and their kids.  My cousin, Courtney, who is six years younger than me, had a blast together.  Both Ryan and I really enjoyed the visit and time spent with our family. 

When will you see us again?

As it stands now, we are hoping to spend Thanksgiving break with Cheryl and Ken.  Then, after we are out of school we hope to start our Christmas journey at Cheryl and Ken’s (in Missouri, Ryan’s mom and step dad)  for a few days and then head on to Bill and Dell’s (in Arkansas, Ryan’s dad and step mom) for about a week.  In the last leg of our trip, we hope to stay in Mississippi for another week.  We are doing it this way in attempt to spend a fair amount of time with all family and friends for the holidays.  I hope that this will work well for everyone.  If there are any problems or questions, please let me know.  We can’t wait until Christmas! J

Prayer and Praises!

My Mamaw (my Dad’s mom) had surgery not too long ago.  Although she suffered some major pain afterwards, I am happy to report that she is feeling much better now and doing well.  Yea! J

Please keep my dad in your prayers.  His workplace is giving layoffs.  This is causing many people to be shifted to other jobs that they may not have as much expertise in performing or that they enjoy as much.  Please pray for my Dad to be able to get back into taper press, which is the job that he knows.

Thank ya’ll…

Thank you so much to those who have written us letters and emails or made a call.  It’s great to hear from ya’ll!  Thanks for remembering us!